Child Development Center
The CDC is a non-profit early education and care program for children ages 4 months through 5 years and serves up to 90 children. The Child Development Center is licensed by the California Department of Social Services and operates under guidelines established by the California Department of Education Child Development Division. The Center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and continues to hold a platinum rating from the Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS).
The 10 NAEYC Program Standards
Quality Rating and Improvement System - Early Education (CA Dept of Education)
What We do
Mission
The mission of Associated Students is to represent the students of San Jose State University and continually improve the quality of their educational opportunities and experiences. The Associated Students Child Development Center fulfills this mission in three ways by providing:
1) High quality early education and child care at reasonable rates to enable student parents to achieve their educational goals;
2) Part-time employment for SJSU students who wish to gain experience working with young children;
3) Service learning and co-curricular experiences with young children to fulfill academic requirements.
Goals
1) To provide a rich, developmentally and culturally appropriate educational program for the children.
2) To celebrate the diversity of the families.
3) To provide a support system for parents.
4) To involve parents in their child’s program.
5) To work in active partnership with academic departments of the University.
Philosophy
The philosophy of the Associated Students Child Development Center is based on the following ideals:
● Each child is unique with an individual pattern of growth, personality, learning style and family background and family culture.
● Children’s developmental tasks in the early years are to develop positive self-esteem, learn social skills, and begin the mastery of academic skills.
● Children need structure and well-defined limits in order to feel secure; they also need freedom and encouragement to explore and take risks.
● Children acquire knowledge about their cognitive, physical, and social worlds through playful interactions with people and materials.
● Children learn best in a rich, developmentally appropriate learning environment provided by well-trained early childhood teachers.
● Children are motivated to learn by their own desire to make sense of their world, and this learning is experiential.
● Parents are an important and active part of the CDC, involved in the basic operation, and encouraged to participate in all aspects of the program.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is developmentally appropriate and inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. This approach was developed in the city of Reggio Emilia in Italy with the belief that children are competent learners, able to explore and research in depth topics that interest them. This philosophy enables children at any age and developmental level to be fully engaged. Children emerge as self-confident, competent individuals, prepared for the school years (and life) ahead. Community and family involvement are an important aspect of this program. Parents are encouraged to bring themselves, their expertise, and their interests to the classroom.
Contact Us
Telephone: (408) 924-6988
Location
460 South 8th Street, San Jose, CA 95112
Hours
Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 5:15pm
